“I felt it too,” she said softly, and some of his hurt ebbed away.
A faint hope reappeared. Was it even possible? He’d never even heard of such a thing, but…
“Perhaps there is no need to choose,” he said slowly.
“What?” Her mouth formed the most entrancing circle.
“A queen may select as many males as she wishes for her brace.”
“Are you suggesting that I should be in a relationship with both of you?”
“It is the way of my world.” He forced a smile. “Although I hope you wouldn’t want eight other warriors.”
“You really wouldn’t mind sharing me?”
Would he be happy being her only male? To have all of her pleasure for himself? Of course, he would. But it would not be in her best interests.
“Do you know why a queen has a brace?” he asked. “It is for her protection and the protection of her offspring. And, of course, to have assistance in making sure that all of her needs are met.” The statement came out sounding more explicitly sexual than he had intended, but from the thrust of her nipples, she did not object. “I would never wish to endanger a queen by seeking to keep her to myself, although I admit, I had hoped to be part of a smaller brace.” He sighed. “I had certainly never considered the possibility of a Yehrin as part of it, but they are excellent warriors and could assist in your protection.”
The color danced across her cheeks as she looked from him to the unconscious warrior.
“This type of relationship isn’t common on Earth,” she said finally. “And I can’t imagine that any Yehrin warrior has ever considered it.”
She had not rejected the idea. “But you would consider it?”
“I… oh, what’s the point of even discussing it? He doesn’t want me anyway.”
“How could that be?” He looked at the Yehrin and sighed again. “He came after you.”
“But I don’t know why. He’s very big on duty. It might just be that he considered it to be his fucking responsibility, not because he wants me.”
“I want you, Lissie. Nothing would make me happier than for you to be mine.”
The warrior on the floor suddenly roared, his hand going to his belt.
“You can not have her. She is mine!”
T’kol came back to consciousness slowly, aware of a burning pain in his leg. Hard ground lay beneath him and the air was heavy with an unknown scent. He heard L’zabet’s voice and relief filled him. He had found her. She was safe.
But then he heard another voice—low, sibilant… Icluthian. He identified it just as he made out the male’s words. The damned lizard was claiming his L’zabet. He roared his protest and reached for his belt, intending to silence the other male, but his weapons were gone. Undeterred, he started to climb to his feet—his horns were weapon enough—but when he tried to move, a bolt of agony shot up his leg.
“T’kol! Dammit, stay still. You have a broken leg.” L’zabet’s small hands pushed against his chest and he grabbed them, pulling her closer. She landed on his chest with a small grunt and the movement sent another wave of pain down his leg, but he didn’t care as long as she was close.
“I do not care. I can still defend you.”
“Defend me? From what?”
“From him.” He gestured at the Icluthian warrior crouched against a rock wall, watching the two of them. His body was tensed and ready, but he had not yet made any attempt to intervene.
“Hisst isn’t going to hurt me,” she said softly, and he was suddenly very aware of the fact that she was sprawled across his body, her lush curves pressing into his chest and cradling his rapidly hardening shaft. He tried never to allow her to get this close because it destroyed his control. No longer, he reminded himself. The time had come to claim her. But first he needed to make it clear that the lizard had no right to her.
“He said you were his. I will not permit it.”
Her brows drew together and the soft smile with which she had been regarding him disappeared.
“Why the fuck do you care? Now let me go.”
She yanked ineffectually at his grip, but he didn’t let her go. When the lizard responded by hissing and moving closer, T’kol immediately released her. He wouldn’t take any chances with her safety if the Icluthian became aggressive. L’zabet scrambled away.
“Why are you here, T’kol?” she asked, but now she sounded sad rather than angry. The damned lizard put his arm around her. He would have crawled over there to free her, broken leg be damned, except that she not only permitted it, she leaned into his touch.
“I was looking for you,” he said stiffly, and forced himself into a sitting position against the wall, even though the effort left him sweating.
“I told you to be still,” she scolded. “We think you have a broken leg.”
“I suspect you are correct.” He pulled out his scanner and confirmed her diagnosis. Fortunately, it was clean break and should heal relatively quickly, but even with enhanced Yehrin healing, he would be incapacitated for several days. “How did this happen? I was searching for you and saw the cloth over the entrance and then…” His memories stopped at that point.
“I’m afraid you got stunned,” she said, shooting a quick glance up at the lizard. “Then when you lost consciousness, you slid down the hill and you must have hit a rock.”
“You shot me with the blast tube?”
“No. I did,” the lizard replied, watching him carefully. “I saw a large shape at the entrance and would not take a chance with Lissie’s safety.”
He couldn’t argue with that, and he nodded. “Very well.”
“Very well?” L’zabet frowned. “You have a broken leg and that’s all you have to say?”
“Hush, my queen. He understands that your well-being is my first priority.”
His queen?
“She is not your queen and she never will be,” he growled.
“I do not believe that is your decision,” the lizard said calmly, and gave a pointed glance at L’zabet, still tucked against his side.
“I have been waiting for her for seven years. I will not lose her to a damned lizard now.”
“Waiting?” L’zabet scoffed. “Hisst has only known me for two days and he’s ready to claim me. You don’t even respond when I throw myself at you.”
“I respond,” he growled.
“If you do, you don’t do anything about it. Hisst does.”
He looked at the way she was tucked so closely against the Icluthian’s side, her lush body small next to the warrior’s strong build, and a horrible suspicion crossed his mind. His hand automatically went for his missing sword.
“He has touched you?”
“Yes, he has. And he didn’t feel guilty about it.”
“It was a delight, my queen,” the lizard said, and to T’kol’s fury, one big scaled hand cupped his L’zabet’s breast. She flushed from her hairline to her neck, but she didn’t pull away.
“Release her at once.” He tried once again to stand but he couldn’t use the injured leg.
“Why should I?” The lizard looked down at L’zabet. “Her nipples are hard. She enjoys it.”
T’kol’s eyes dropped automatically to her breasts. The damn lizard was right. She was leaning into the hand covering her breast and her other nipple was clearly visible beneath the thin cloth of her top. His cock jerked involuntarily as he remembered his own all too brief encounter with her luscious breasts and the way her nipple had grown red and distended from his attentions.
“She enjoys my touch as well,” he said gruffly.
“I did—the few times you permitted yourself to lose control,” L’zabet said. “But you always ended up pushing me away and hurting my feelings.”
The Icluthian hissed and T’kol felt that rush of guilt again. It had never been his intention to hurt her. The fact that he couldn’t control himself around her was his fault, not hers.
“That is my failing,” he said honestly, but his eyes were draw
n to H’sst’s hands. Both of them cupped her breasts now, and long green fingers pulled and tugged at her nipples. Despite his anger, his cock throbbed and ached, harder than he’d ever been. Her cheeks flushed as she leaned into the alien’s touch, and he caught the delicious scent of her arousal mingling with the heavier spicy note that filled the cave.
Her eyes had been half-closed with pleasure, but they opened now in a mixture of hurt and anger. “You don’t know how good it feels to be touched by someone who wants you and isn’t afraid to let you know.”
“I am not afraid,” he growled. “I can show you pleasure.”
“Then show her,” the lizard said.
Chapter Ten
“What?” Lizabet twisted her head to look up at Hisst.
“Let him show you that he can make you feel good—without causing you distress.” He glared at T’kol on the last phrase.
“You don’t mind?”
“My queen—”
She heard T’kol growl.
“—there is much history between you. I believe you’d be happier if it was resolved. And your happiness always comes first.”
She studied his face. He seemed quite serene, although his hands were still moving over her flesh, and she could see the smooth surface of his suit beginning to bulge. Her own body was already humming with arousal. When Hisst had touched her breasts in front of T’kol, she had started to protest, but then she decided defiantly, why not let him? Let T’kol see what he had thrown away. But the combination of Hisst’s gentle touch and the hunger in T’kol’s gaze as he watched them had her pussy dampening in a rush of heat.
Now to go from one male to another… Her clit gave an excited little pulse at the idea. The more reckless side of her definitely approved, even though she couldn’t think of anyone else who would approve of her actions. Yet, Hisst had suggested that she didn’t have to choose, and while she still didn’t think it was a possibility, maybe this was a small first step.
Her heart pounding, she gently pushed at Hisst’s hands. He immediately released her.
“Do you want me to come to you, T’kol?”
“Yes,” he said immediately.
“And you won’t push me away?”
He met her eyes directly. “I will never push you away again.”
Still hesitant, she crossed the few steps and knelt next to him. His face was a harsh mask, as stern as she had ever seen it, but his eyes glowed with green fire.
“Do you want me to touch you, L’zabet?”
Despite the confused thoughts racing through her mind, there was only one honest answer. “Yes.”
“Then remove your shirt.”
She felt her mouth drop open. It was the last thing she had expected him to say.
“B-but why?”
“Because you are not a gift from him.” He jerked his head in Hisst’s direction, but his eyes never left hers. “If you come to me, it will be my way. You will follow my orders.”
“Orders?” Her brows drew together as she instinctively objected to the word. “I thought you wanted me.”
“I do, very much, and I intend to prove it to you so that you have no doubts whatsoever about my feelings. But that does not mean that I will let you be in charge, L’zabet.”
When she hesitated, he shook his head. “This was one of my concerns. I am a warrior; I do not beg and plead. I command. And I will command your pleasure.”
The words were harsh, but she could see the tension in his body and realized how important this was to him. She knew him well enough to understand why he might need to feel as if he was in control. Hadn’t that air of authority been partially what drew her to him from the beginning? She thought of what Hisst had said—that the queen always chooses—and realized that it was still her choice. Yes, she thought. She could choose to give him this.
Her fingers shaking, she lifted the thermal top over her head. In her rush to leave the cave earlier, she hadn’t bothered with any other clothing and her breasts sprang free, gleaming in the dim light. T’kol growled and she heard a soft trill from Hisst.
“You are beautiful, my jewel. My memories did not do you justice.” Warm approval filled his voice and his hands unclenched. He traced a claw down her necklace to the stone glowing against her skin. “Kneel up and use your hands to offer me your breasts.”
A rush of heat swept over her body. Sure that her cheeks were as red as her hair, she obeyed, lifting the heavy flesh and offering it to him. With a growl he pulled her closer and fastened his mouth over one nipple. He was not soft or gentle or reverent. He attacked her breast like a starving man would attack a feast. He pulled her nipple deep into his mouth, then assaulted it with his tongue, sweeping the rough surface across the sensitive flesh. He scraped his teeth across it, the sharp points sending electric shocks straight to her clit, and her hands went to his horns as she pushed into his touch, demanding more.
When he finally lifted his mouth, she almost cried out in protest, but he simply moved to her other breast, attacking it with the same fervor. The cool air of the cave caressed her abandoned nipple, still swollen and distended from his touch. Her body was on fire with need and her hands clenched on his horns, her body reaching for the climax hovering just out of reach.
“T’kol,” she gasped, and he growled, a thrilling vibration against her aching nipples, and then his big hand was between her legs and his thumb stroking her clit. A flood of spice-scented air rushed past her, mingling with T’kol’s deeper musk, and she remembered that Hisst was watching. That thought, combined with the sensations flooding her body, tipped her over the edge. Her head fell back as she shuddered, her thighs clenching around his hand, but his arm was there to support her, pulling her into the warmth of his body as she climaxed.
As her trembling eased, she looked up at him, still half convinced that he would push her away, but he smiled and pulled her closer. “Beautiful, my jewel. Did that convince you that I could show you pleasure?”
“That’s not the part I was worried about,” she said ruefully. “This is.”
“I will not let you go this time.”
Warmth filled her. “Good.”
She started to snuggle closer when a slight hiss distracted her. She looked over to see Hisst leaning against the wall, his hand against his groin and a pained expression on his face. Oh, no. He must have extruded again. She couldn’t leave him like that. Instead, she pushed gently at T’kol’s arms.
“Let me go, T’kol.”
Watching his Lissie move over to the Yehrin warrior proved harder than Hisst had expected. After all, the possibility of not sharing a queen had never occurred to him before. All he had hoped for was to find a queen who would be satisfied with a small brace and not feel the constant need to add on to it that his dam had displayed. But after having Lissie all to himself for the past two days, he felt an unexpected pang as she knelt next to the other male.
His dislike grew when the male did not treat her as Hisst would have—he did not request her attentions, instead, his words were harsh and demanding. Hisst clenched his fists to resist the urge to snatch his queen away. This was her decision, not his. And yet, when she bared her breasts at the warrior’s command, when his mouth closed over the red peaks with fierce intensity, Hisst’s kradx throbbed and demanded. And when she climaxed, her head thrown back, her body flushed with the mating color, her scent filling the cave, his kradx could not be restrained, pushing through his slit in a rush of desire.
After her pleasure, the warrior behaved more appropriately, cradling her tenderly in his arms. Hisst fought back a sigh as his Lissie relaxed against the other male. The unexpected ache in his heart was matched by the ache in his loins as his kradx pressed against his suit. He shifted uncomfortably, hissing as the sensitive flesh rubbed against the material.
Lissie looked over at him, and then, to his astonishment, started to free herself from the Yehrin. For a moment the warrior resisted and Hisst gathered himself. He would not permit his queen to be held ag
ainst her will. Fortunately, the other male growled but released her. Despite the harsh noise, the look that flashed across his face spoke of hurt rather than anger. An unwilling sympathy filled Hisst. If he already hated the idea of sharing his queen, despite a lifetime expecting such a fate, how much worse must it be for a warrior who had always dreamed of a single mate. But then Lissie knelt next to him, her fragrance filling his senses, and she became the sole focus of his attention.
“You extruded?” she asked softly.
“Yes, my queen. The sight of your pleasure caused me to lose control.”
The Yehrin growled, but they both ignored him.
“Do you want me to help you?”
“More than anything, but…” He gestured at big warrior watching them so closely.
“T’kol will just have to put up with it,” she said defiantly, even though her teeth caught at her plump lower lip. “That is… if you don’t mind that he’s here?”
“Not enough to step out into the cold,” he said dryly, then smiled at her. “This too is a queen’s decision. Some prefer to be with a single male at a time, although it is more common to have most or all of her brace present. My dam said it prevented jealousy.”
“So you do get jealous?” the warrior growled. “Even with your perverted ways?”
“We are only Icluthian,” he shrugged, then winced as the movement caused his kradx to shift. “Emotions are not always logical.”
“Unfasten your suit,” his queen ordered, and he gladly complied, breathing a sigh of relief as his cocks were freed from the tight fabric. Her small, soft hand reached for him, but just as he felt her touch his skin, the warrior interrupted again.
“L’zabet, stop. You can not touch him.” Beneath the growl, the warrior’s voice was anguished and once again Hisst felt an unwilling sympathy. However, sympathy was not sufficient to keep him from covering Lissie’s hand with his own and wrapping it around his primary cock.
“Why not?” She scowled at the Yehrin but, praise the Great Mother, she didn’t remove her hand. Instead she gave him a long slow stroke that caused a trill to escape his lips.
Alien Alliance Page 7
